A Classification of the Approaches to the Ontology of Possible Worlds

Abstract

Today there are two basic approaches to the existence of possible worlds. According to the first approach possible worlds are real and our actual world is one of a whole series of possible worlds. David Lewis is one of the well-known philosophers of such an approach. Against this philosopher the second group claims that possible worlds are ideal, subjective or linguistical; Carnap, Kripke, and Rescher are some of the representatives of this group. For these philosophers, only this world of ours (the actual world) is real, and there cannot be other non-real possible worlds.